Written by Addison Campbell
This year, the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend will be held in downtown Indianapolis, just 10 minutes from the University of Indianapolis campus, opening many doors for UIndy students. Jacob Sunde, a junior sports management major, had the opportunity to volunteer at multiple events throughout the weekend.
NBA All-Star Weekend brought a lot of big names to Indianapolis and got the whole city excited. Not only were UIndy students given the opportunity to volunteer at these events, but the NBA also offered 6,000 volunteer positions. All-Star Weekend brought the community together and set a goal of providing his 1 million meals, which will be transported across the state, to those in need.
Thanks to his connections with the university, Jacob has been given many opportunities, one of which was serving as a team attendant for the G League All-Star Game. During this time, he made sure each player had clean towels, water and snacks. He also helped players warm up and caught rebounds for them.
The next event Jacob was assigned to work on was a volunteer pick-up where he handed out care packages to everyone who volunteered at least two All-Star Weekend events. Jacob also organized packages and handed them out to each volunteer as they arrived, and handed gift packages to all-star donors.
The NBA's 24-hour care service was “the best experience of All-Star Weekend” for Jacob. At this event, he packed rice cookers for the hungry, restocked all the food, and made sure everything went smoothly. Jacob said, “My shift was at night, and just seeing the energy and bond of 100 random strangers coming together in the middle of the night just to help a good cause was incredible.” .
Jacob's last volunteer opportunity was while working as a Jordan Brand Ambassador, helping kids register for the NBA Crossover Flight Sweet 23 event. During this time, Jacob took care of all the shoes and helped prepare the Jordan players for their arrival.
Jacob said: “This volunteer experience gave me the opportunity to learn that there are different environments and different parts when it comes to sports management. It also gave me the opportunity to make new connections that may help me in the future. Thank you.”
Indianapolis offers so many opportunities and career paths for students, which is why UIndy is in a great location. “I'm not from Indy, but it was incredible to see everyone in this community come together to help with such an important event for our city,” Jacob said of the importance of community. expressed.
